Today's Human Resources Pulse
Greenhouse completes acquisition of Ezra AI Labs, adding voice‑AI interviewing
Greenhouse announced the completion of its acquisition of Ezra AI Labs, a voice‑AI interviewing platform. The technology enables on‑demand, role‑specific conversations that are scored against a uniform rubric, delivering transcripts and explainable evaluations. The deal expands Greenhouse’s structured hiring methodology to the earliest stage of the recruiting funnel.
Berlin Tech’s New Reality: AI-Driven Output, Stagnant Wages, and a Workforce on the Move
The 2026 Berlin Salary Trends report, based on 4,627 tech professionals, shows median full‑time compensation rising to €80,000 (≈$86,000), a 4.6% gain year‑over‑year. AI and Machine Learning engineers have entered the top‑three pay tier with a €95,000 median, while 87.5% of workers use AI tools and 61% fear it could jeopardise their jobs. Gender pay disparity narrowed to a 17.6% raw gap, yet 68.8% would quit or start job‑hunting if forced back to office four days a week, and a third plan to switch jobs in 2026. Berlin’s startup ecosystem remains vibrant, attracting roughly €2.2 billion (≈$2.4 billion) in venture capital and cementing its status as Germany’s AI hub.
AMC Global Media CEO Kristin Dolan’s Pay Jumps 44% to $12.5 Million for 2025
AMC Global Media disclosed that CEO Kristin Dolan earned $12.5 million in 2025, up 44% from the prior year. The package includes a $2 million base salary, $4.2 million in stock awards and a $6 million cash bonus, reflecting the company’s shift toward streaming...
Union Withdraws Opposition to HMM Relocation to Busan
HMM’s land‑based workers’ union has withdrawn its opposition, signing an agreement to relocate the carrier’s headquarters to Busan’s North Port. The move fulfills President Lee Jae‑myung’s campaign promise to turn Busan into a maritime hub and follows a series of...
AI Saves Payroll Time as Compliance Costs Bite Small Businesses
ADP reported that its AI‑driven Assist tools shave roughly 30 minutes off each payroll run, a boon for small employers struggling with compliance. At the same time, TriNet disclosed a 12% decline in worksite employees for small firms after health‑fee...
SSANU, NASU to Commence Nationwide Indefinite Strike on Friday
The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non‑Academic Staff Union (NASU) will begin an indefinite nationwide strike on May 1, 2026. The action follows the government’s failure to complete renegotiations of the 2009 collective agreement and its...
New Book Reveals the 5 Principles to Breathe Life Into Your Organisation
"Hope at Work: 5 Principles to Breathe Life into Your Organization" by Barbara Perry, Ph.D., and Harry Hutson, Ph.D., presents hope as a strategic tool for leaders navigating post‑pandemic uncertainty. Drawing on three decades of consulting, the book outlines five...
Roomex Targets ‘Hidden Pricing Gap’ in Workforce Travel with New Comparison Tool
Roomex has launched a Best Rates Display tool that compares hotel prices across up to 30 supply channels at the point of booking. The feature aggregates more than 2,000 directly negotiated rates and highlights the lowest price, free‑cancellation and breakfast...
Workplace Wellbeing Expert on the Five Office Changes that Can Reduce Stress
Workplace‑wellbeing expert Sam Chughtai outlines five low‑cost office tweaks that can curb stress and lift performance. The recommendations include breakout rooms, quiet zones, upgraded bathrooms, ergonomic gear, natural light, and biophilic design elements. Each change targets a specific stressor—from constant...
Leadership Development After Funding Cuts – Is the Level 6 Project Manager Degree Apprenticeship the Answer?
The UK government will cease funding for the Level 6 Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship by December, leaving many firms without a fully‑funded route to develop senior leaders. Arden University’s Steven Hurst proposes the Level 6 Project Manager Degree Apprenticeship as a viable,...
HC Rejects ESI Evasion Attempt Through ‘Allowance’ Classification
India’s High Court ruled that firms cannot dodge Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) coverage by classifying workers as “allowances” to stay below the 10‑employee threshold. The case involved Diamond Silk Khadi Society, which claimed only nine employees, but records showed 13...
Verizon CEO Dan Schulman Unveils AI Push and 13,000‑Job Cut to Revive Growth
Verizon CEO Dan Schulman announced a sweeping AI‑focused transformation and the largest layoff in the company's history, cutting 13,000 jobs. The moves come as the $200 billion telecom rebounds with a 16% stock gain since October and upgraded full‑year earnings guidance.
As the 5-Day Workweek Turns 100, It’s Time for an AI Era Upgrade
May 1 2026 marks the centennial of Henry Ford’s five‑day, 40‑hour workweek, a schedule forged during the Industrial Revolution rather than by any cultural mandate. The article argues that the next major shift, driven by AI, should move firms toward a four‑day...
Nebraska Launches Medicaid Work Requirements, Sparking HR Concerns
Nebraska became the first state to enforce federal Medicaid work requirements on May 1, obligating roughly 70,000 enrollees to work, train or attend school. The rollout has ignited alarm among workers, health‑care providers and human‑resources teams that must manage new...
Stop These 3 Critical HR Mistakes that Are Undermining Your Leadership Credibility
The episode highlights three common HR mistakes that erode a leader’s credibility: avoiding direct performance conversations, delegating those talks to HR, and using HR as a threat. It explains how delayed involvement and poor documentation limit corrective options and increase...
Did Interviewers Say the Quiet Parts Out Loud? The EEO-1 Data May Have Confirmed the Rest.
The EEOC secured a $200,000 Title VII settlement with a waste‑management firm after evidence showed it systematically rejected qualified female truck‑driver applicants. During an interview, a manager told a female candidate to discuss the job with her husband and warned...
Podcast | People Director, Stiltz: How We Help Our Managers Drive Better Team Performance
Stiltz Homelifts’ Group People Director Tara Lochery says performance management must be a continuous process, not a once‑year event. She argues that managers need real‑time tools and training to address both strong and weak performance moments. Stiltz has built tailored...
Amid Scorching Heatwave, Zomato, Blinkit Expand ‘Insurance Plan, SOS Support’ and More for Gig Workers
Zomato and Blinkit, under the Eternal group, rolled out a suite of heat‑wave safeguards for their delivery partners, including expanded health insurance, 24/7 SOS support, and real‑time weather alerts. The insurance now reimburses up to $60 for OPD visits, $1,200...
China Bans Firing for AI, Forces Firms to Bear Costs
China just made it illegal to fire someone to replace them with AI. I’m a Psychologist. Here’s what no one is saying about why. China didn’t ban AI. They banned MORAL OFFLOADING. The court ruled the cost of transformation belongs to the organization. Not the...
3 Leadership Lessons I Learned From My Worst Bosses
Former corporate employee Mita Mallick shares three leadership lessons drawn from her worst bosses. She warns against late‑night emails, highlights how silence enables workplace bullying, and urges leaders to intervene when disengagement spreads. Each lesson includes actionable steps such as...
The Sales Talent Lessons Radio Needs From Hispanic Radio
Hispanic radio leaders argue that attracting and retaining sales talent now hinges on storytelling, community ties, and digital integration rather than commissions alone. They frame radio as part of a broader ecosystem, emphasizing purpose, earnings potential, flexibility, and modern tools....
I Was One of Lovable's First 50 Hires. Here's How I Got the Job After Initially Getting Rejected.
Mindaugas Petrutis, a non‑technical content creator, was initially rejected by AI startup Lovable but later became one of its first 50 hires. He spent months building daily AI prototypes, sharing them publicly, and solving the company’s influencer‑marketing problem during a...
Top 10 HR Questions April 2026: SSP Changes and Holiday Records
The Employment Rights Act 2025 took effect in April 2026, removing waiting days for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) and allowing entitlement from day one of incapacity. A specific exception applies to employees who fall sick on their first day of...
The Bloody History of the 40-Hour Work Week — and Why It's Under Threat Again
The 40‑hour work week, now taken for granted, was forged through more than a century of strikes, riots, and deadly confrontations, culminating in the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act. Since the 1980s, declining union power and the rise of gig...
Just 34% of Cyber Pros Plan to Stick with Their Current Employer
A new IANS and Artico Search survey of 500 cybersecurity professionals reveals only 34% intend to stay with their current employer, underscoring a looming talent retention crisis for CISOs. While salary remains a factor, flexible hybrid work models—especially one to...
India Faces Cybersecurity Talent Crunch as AI, Cloud Drive Demand: Report
India is confronting a severe cybersecurity talent shortage as cloud adoption and AI proliferation accelerate digital transformation. The Data Security Council of India and SANS Institute report that 73% of enterprises and 68% of service providers struggle to find qualified...
Florida AG Challenges NFL’s Rooney Rule
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has issued a formal demand that the NFL abandon its Rooney Rule, labeling the policy as unlawful race‑and‑sex discrimination. In a March 25 letter, he gave the league a May 1 deadline to cease enforcing the...
Singapore to Ease Entry Rules for Thai, Chinese Workers
Singapore will relax entry requirements for Thai and Chinese construction workers starting 1 January 2027, eliminating the pre‑entry skills test. Employers will instead schedule and administer the test in Singapore after the workers arrive. The move addresses a growing labour shortfall as...
Greens to Pledge £15 Minimum Wage
The Green Party announced a workers’ rights charter that would raise the statutory minimum wage to £15 an hour (about $19) for all ages, funded by reduced National Insurance contributions for small businesses. The pledge follows a recent increase to...
PwC Drops Weight Loss Drugs From Employee Benefits in the US
PwC’s U.S. unit will stop covering GLP‑1 weight‑loss drugs for employees without diabetes, citing rapidly rising drug costs. Effective July, only staff with a diabetes diagnosis will remain eligible for medications such as Ozempic and Mounjaro. The drugs cost roughly...
STL Appoints Anshu Mordia as CHRO
Sterlite Technologies (STL) has named Anshu Mordia as its chief human resources officer, adding a veteran with nearly two decades of HR leadership to its executive team. Mordia will oversee talent strategy, employee engagement and culture building as STL sharpens...
At Nature HQ: Vivobarefoot’s Galahad Clark Is Rewriting The Rules Of Leadership
Vivobarefoot’s CEO Galahad Clark has transformed the shoe brand’s headquarters into a ten‑acre "Nature HQ" where employees grow food, hold meetings outdoors and follow a flat, ecosystem‑inspired hierarchy. The purpose‑first model has helped the company surge from roughly £30 million ($37.5 million)...
Bupa Appoints Penny Dudley as Group Chief People and Legal Officer
Bupa has named Penny Dudley as its new group chief people and legal officer, succeeding Nigel Sullivan. Dudley will continue to lead the legal function she has held since 2016 while taking charge of the global people agenda. The move...
Drop “Gypsy” From Usernames—Stop the Harmful Stereotype
This is yet another reminder to my colleagues to remove “Gypsy” from their username. It’s not cute, it’s not free-spirited, and it makes you seem like the opposite of what you’re claiming to be. The writing has been on the wall...
BHP Brings OD OS Workers Inhouse
BHP secured Fair Work Commission approval to directly employ 38 maintenance staff at its Olympic Dam operation, moving them from the company’s Operations Services (OS) subsidiary onto a single enterprise agreement. The change ends a separate contract arrangement that had kept...
Wilson Learning | Aligning Learning with What Actually Drives Results
Wilson Learning argues that high‑impact learning and development (L&D) must start with a performance problem, not a content request. By aligning learning initiatives with commercial priorities and key metrics, L&D earns credibility and shifts focus from course completion to business...
Meet the Brand: Compound
Compound is a digital‑first workplace pension platform that offers accountants a free, automated multi‑client dashboard integrated with payroll systems like Xero. The service also provides employees with an app that automatically locates and consolidates hidden pension pots, exemplified by a...
Salzburg Festival Advertises Its Top Jobs
The Salzburg Festival is advertising its two highest‑level positions – president and artistic director – with openings slated for October 2027. The ads follow the controversial removal of artistic director Markus Hinterhäuser and aim to project a transparent hiring process. Interim...
Jenny Segal: Firms Should Measure Culture in the Same Way as AUM
Jenny Segal argues that financial firms treat culture like an operating system and should measure it with the same rigor as assets under management. She cites research showing top workplaces generate twice the revenue per employee and outperform the Russell 1000...
'We All Benefit' | Serco, Virgin, McDonald's: Why CPOs Are 'Opening Doors' With Social Mobility Schemes
Serco has launched "Believe in People," a social mobility program aimed at individuals facing structural employment barriers such as prison leavers, military veterans, and care leavers. The initiative pledges to deliver more than one million hours of skills development by...
Labor Watch: Loyola, UC Workers to Strike While Harvard Fights Continue
Higher‑education labor actions intensified in early May as Loyola University Chicago non‑tenure‑track faculty began a strike demanding 5% wage hikes, paid parental leave and course‑release provisions. The University of California system’s 42,000 service and patient‑care workers also voted to strike...
Neurodiversity | DWP Rolls Out Autism Training to 4,000 Staff Amid Push for More Inclusive Assessments
More than 4,000 Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) healthcare professionals have completed a new training programme designed to improve support for autistic people and those with learning disabilities navigating the benefits system. Launched during Autism Awareness Month and named...
'Put up & Shut Up' | Bullying Claims at Welsh University Spark Calls for Independent Review
The University of South Wales (USW) faces accusations of a toxic workplace culture and bullying that former staff say have driven high sickness absence rates. An investigation by Newyddion S4C collected testimony from more than a dozen ex‑employees, prompting calls...
Beyond Thanks: Operators Must Boost Frontline Pay
Following up on my earlier post. Thanking frontliners is the easy part. The harder question is what we, as operators, actually do about it. We talk about minimum wage hikes like a threat. Like the industry won’t survive. Margins are thin, costs...
Data Center Engineers Fear AI Threatening Their Jobs
Even data center engineers building the future fear AI will eliminate their jobs. This engineer is on a 4-5 year engagement, questioning his long-term role in a rapidly evolving field. #AI #FutureOfWork https://t.co/2ZnQkNdmM4
Aon Strengthens Asia Pacific Growth Leadership with Senior Appointments
Aon announced three senior appointments—Richard Tan, Maggie Hsieh and Michel Muganza—to its Asia Pacific Growth team, reinforcing the firm’s commercial leadership in the region. The hires are intended to improve collaboration across Aon’s APAC units, enhance client delivery, and help...
Nia Long Alleges Pay Disparity Despite Contract Parity
News: Nia Long, who plays Michael Jackson’s mother in MICHAEL, is claiming she was paid less than her male co-stars despite a contract guaranteeing her parity. Mediation with Lionsgate is likely. Details ⬇️⬇️ #MichaelMovie https://t.co/KAVTHdqY0U
Payroll APIs Boost ERP Efficiency and Reporting Accuracy
Payroll APIs streamline data exchange between payroll systems and ERP platforms, enhancing efficiency and accuracy in financial reporting. Discover more here: https://t.co/I3BqzxQbWt @tryfinch
Recruiters Warned to Move Beyond ‘Post and Pray’ as Passive Talent Overlooked
Recruiters are being cautioned that reliance on job boards captures only about 27% of the available talent pool, leaving the larger segment of passive candidates untapped. AI‑driven “click‑apply” tools have inflated application volumes but not candidate quality, creating a targeting...
Court Rules Staffing Contract Can't Block Temp Worker's Co-Employment Status
A Tennessee appeals court ruled that a staffing contract cannot shield a client company from co‑employment liability when it controls a temporary worker’s duties. The court found Dayco Inc. was a co‑employer of forklift operator Keith King, despite a contract...
Employment Tribunal Roundup: Appeal Fairness, Dismissal Reasoning, Discrimination Tests and Religious Belief Clarified
Recent Employment Appeal Tribunal decisions clarified four core employment law areas: appeal fairness, dismissal reasoning, discrimination causation, and religious belief protection. In Milrine v DHL, a botched appeal turned a fair dismissal into unfair, emphasizing the substantive right to a...